The company behind celebrity chef Michael O’Hare’s Michelin-starred restaurant had racked up debts of almost £1m before going into liquidation.

According to newly filed documents, the Man Behind the Curtain, which later became Psycho Sandbar, owed more than £500,000 to HMRC and £370,000 to a company owned by former footballer Gary Neville, who was also co-director of the company.

Psycho Sandbar closed earlier this month, just seven months after opening, and O’Hare said the decision was due to “exciting plans for the future” while also “reflecting the changing experience market.”

The BBC has contacted Mr O’Hare for further comment.

Other creditors named in the documents include utility companies, investors, a wine merchant and pest control.

The Man Behind the Curtain, located in the center of Leeds, was awarded a Michelin star in 2015.

It was known for its adventurous menu, cutting-edge decor and celebrity investment.

Neville, who quit The Man Behind The Curtain in September, said he signed “one of the most instinctive and incredible deals” in 2018 after eating at the restaurant, according to a post you shared on LinkedIn.

He said that instead of the invoice, he received an offer from Mr O’Hare to buy 50% of the business.

“From then on I was part owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Leeds,” Neville, 49, posted.

He added: “Fast forward to today, Michael made a brave and courageous decision by giving up his Michelin star and opening a new restaurant, Psycho Sandbar, which I went to earlier in the week.”

Neville was listed as a 50% shareholder in the company and, according to the company report statement of affairsNeville’s investment management company, Relentless, is owed £366,818.

Meanwhile, Mr O’Hare signed documents on October 30 confirming the company would be “voluntarily dissolved”, and liquidators of BV Corporate Recovery & Insolvency Services Limited were appointed on the same day.

O’Hare, 42, from Redcar, North Yorkshire, has appeared on Masterchef and The Great British Menu and is known for his creative inventions, including chocolate pudding with potato foam and edible cellophane.

Speaking to the BBC in March, he said “having a top-notch restaurant is good for the city.”

“The majority of our guests have not been from the local area. All of these things contribute to the economy of the area, it is very important,” he added.

He was also involved in another fine dining restaurant in Manchester called The Rabbit in the Moon, which was backed by Neville and Ryan Giggs.

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